Nicholas Hoult Explains Why His Lex Luthor Hates Superman — GeekTyrant
CinemaBlend spoke with Hoult about diving into one of comic book history's most cerebral villains, and he made it clear that this isn't the cartoony Luthor, his version is sleek, dangerous, and thinks he's the hero of the story.
'He's more of a tech billionaire. One of the things that he values – probably quite highly, and you'll see throughout the film – is this public image of how people view him. He's managed to keep his more nefarious tactics hidden, so that he does appear to be someone who's only there for good.'
That mask of philanthropy, of course, hides the familiar Lex-shaped resentment of Superman's existence. Hoult explained that this mistrust, this fear, is baked into the story from the jump.
When asked about how the Superman film frames their rivalry, Hoult said:
'One of the things I loved most about the script the first time I read it is that you get thrown into the middle of a fully developed world and story already.
'So these characters have already existed in this universe, and you're playing catch up a little bit as an audience member for what the lore is, and what you're dealing with.
'With Lex, it's this thing of, he has already developed or devised all these plans of how to defeat Superman, and you're playing catch up in terms of what's at play, and the plans unfurling in front of you. So that's kind of where you meet him.'
But interestingly, he and Superman haven't even come face-to-face yet when the story kicks off. Their conflict simmers before it ever boils over. Hoult continued:
'They are aware of each other, but I don't think they have necessarily met in person. But Lex… one of the things I really love about this version of Lex is that all his beliefs and fears are what drive him, but in some ways, that drive is real.
'And what he is weary of with what Superman represents is something that could be a real danger and threat to humanity. So in some ways, that was something that I really liked. … It's his beliefs, and almost his love of humanity, and protection, and a belief in this idea that they should be masters of their own fate and destiny is important to him.
'The rest of society has fallen into this path of trusting Superman, believing in Superman, and giving him what Lex would view as all power and freedom. So it's like, 'Where does jurisdiction and law and protection of humanity come into that process?''
It's a layered take that adds complexity to the villain's motives. Hoult's Lex resents the surrender of human autonomy to someone he sees as an unchecked god.
With James Gunn directing and setting up a fully realized DC world already in motion, Hoult's performance is shaping up to be a highlight, and if the movie sticks the landing, this Lex could stand toe-to-toe with the greats.
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Actor Kurt Russell spends July 4th visiting home of his ancestor in Arlington, Massachusetts
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37 minutes ago
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Panic ensues, the screaming masses head for the river and one man is trampled by a herd of stampeding cattle. What makes the film even more disturbing is that it is a fictionalized account of the very real Great Chicago Fire of 1871. —M.S.L. and J.R. Danish auteur (and provocateur) Lars von Trier turned in a very different sort of impending-planetary-doom movie with Melancholia, using the film's looming apocalyptic event (a rogue planet on a collision course with Earth) as an illustration of the protagonist's (Kirsten Dunst) deep depression. Also, the film only becomes a disaster movie in the second half, while continuing to function as an unnerving domestic drama and character study. —T.A. Long before James Cameron infused the Titanic tragedy with a grand, doomed romance, this British film was the definitive cinematic account of the sinking. 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Kit Harington plays a Celtic gladiator brought to the doomed Roman city to fight, where he falls into a romance with the governor's daughter (Emily Browning) before Mt. Vesuvius blows its top. Are you not entertained? Apparently not: Pompeii was roasted by critics, and on Saturday Night Live, Harington joked that the film "proved more of a disaster than the event it was based on." (Where does Game of Thrones' final season rank, we wonder?) But hey, what's a list of disaster movies without at least one disaster on celluloid? —T.A. She may be a sweet granny with a little extra meat on her bones who's trapped in a capsized ocean liner in The Poseidon Adventure, but, as talkative Belle (Shelley Winters) will proudly tell you, "In the water, I'm a very skinny lady." Good thing, because when Rev. Frank Scott (Gene Hackman) gets pinned under a submerged slab of metal, it's up to "the underwater swimming champ of New York for three years running" to rescue him. By swallowing her pride (all those comments about her character's weight!) and a big gulp of air, Winters earned an Oscar nomination for pulling off the best moment in the best disaster flick ever. —M.S.L. and J.R. In the first few moments of the movie, Tom Ransome (George Brent) laments "Oh, how I wish the rains would come." And come they did. Rain splashes all over the Indian city of Ranchipur — knocking down entire buildings; causing the ground to collapse; and creating a flood that destroys everything in its path. The destruction and the resulting aftermath is the backdrop between a beautiful love story between Lady Edwina Esketh (Myrna Loy) and Major Rama Safti (Tyrone Power) — kind of like Titanic without the boat. —M.S.L. and J.R. San Andreas is there for moviegoers when one city-leveling earthquake just isn't enough. Director Brad Peyton's disaster flick offers no less than two massive quakes that decimate buildings and cause thousands of CGI citizens to perish in their wake. The film even throws in a massive San Francisco tsunami for good measure. And while he can't save everyone, San Andreas stars the one modern action star you might assume is capable of taking on the forces of nature: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. —Jonathon Dornbush You might not even realize San Francisco is a disaster picture for much of its running time, as Clark Gable's nightclub owner and Jack Holt's socialite spar for the affection of a singer (Jeanette MacDonald, who performs the famous title song). It's a standard-issue classic Hollywood plot, but the sequence depicting the tragic 1906 earthquake is a jolting burst of fast-cutting mayhem, lending it a chaotic power that transcends any outdated special effects. —T.A. The biggest movie of all time is a disaster flick? You bet! Remember: Without the stunning moment when the boat kisses that frozen hulk, this Best Picture winner is just another Romeo and Juliet knockoff. (And without its monumental love story, Titanic might as well be The Hindenburg.) That said, James Cameron's epic reaches the pinnacle of disaster-movie impudence with the distasteful suggestion that the most celebrated tragedy of the 20th century occurred because a few lookouts were distracted by Kate and Leo sucking face. (Okay, maybe that's just us.) —M.S.L. and J.R. Disaster master Irwin Allen's thrilling Best Picture nominee is overflowing with classic instances of historical import: Paul Newman and Jennifer Jones Lookinland (a.k.a., Bobby Brady)! William Holden wears a scarlet dinner lives to tell about it! Tops is security guard O.J. Simpson putting his mark on the genre's obligatory animal rescue by saving a cat from a scorching skyscraper. ("Say, kitty," he coos, "I almost missed ya.") Watching the star cradle that sweet ball of fur is a timeless reminder that amidst the most hellish chaos and destruction, compassion and humanity still survive. Thank you, O.J. —M.S.L. and J.R. The tornado tale doesn't fit the traditional models established by Poseidon (a disaster's occurred and we've gotta escape!) or Airport (a disaster's about to occur and we've gotta prevent it!). But there's no denying the force of those would-be Fingers of God that terrorize the prairie, scooping up houses, tanker trucks, and, best of all, a mooing steer. Like Walter Matthau's cameo in Earthquake and Owen Wilson's wisecracks in Armageddon, flying cows are the kind of wonderfully out-of-place bits of levity we die for. —M.S.L. and J.R. Twister gets a 21st-century face-lift with a legacy sequel that shows how storm chasing has evolved in the digital age. Lee Isaac Chung's Twisters throws a new generation of chasers (Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, and Anthony Ramos) into the eye of the storm, each armed with their own tricks and methods as they test new technology during a series of deadly tornadoes in Oklahoma. As EW's critic notes, the film "revels in a let's-not-take-this-too-seriously vibe, even though, of course, there are real stakes, what with trucks smashing into buildings and people occasionally being snatched by the Hand of God and hurled to a terrifying death." —J.M. Everyone refuses to listen to geologist Amy Barnes (Anne Heche) when she theorizes that a volcanic flow is coursing underneath Los Angeles. It sounds crazy until the volcano erupts and starts flowing in the city streets and destroying everything in its path. It's up to Amy and emergency official Mike Roark (Tommy Lee Jones) to team up and save the day. —M.S.L. and J.R. The crew of the Seaview submarine are trapped underwater while a fire in the sky is rapidly heating the world around them is that a giant octopus? The freakishly large cephalopod is only one of the many perils Robert Sterling, Walter Pidgeon, and the rest of the film's stars have to contend with in this feature predecessor to the popular TV show. —M.S.L. and J.R. It's hard to imagine that when The War of the Worlds was first broadcast in radio form in 1938, it sent people panicking in the streets. Clearly, they weren't ready for Tom Cruise and CGI. The 2005 film incarnation terrorized moviegoers with menacing aliens bent on destroying everything in their path, including one very young and very scared Dakota Fanning. After all the destruction and chaos, the visitors are felled by common Earth germs. So in the event of an alien attack, huddle up with someone sick. —M.S.L. and J.R. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
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Jay Baruchel drops out of 'Reacher' season 4, role recast with 'Barry' alum Christopher Rodriguez-Marquette
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